Even before they had entered the war in 1940, the Italian army recognised that it would need a new, heavier tank to keep up with foreign designs. At 26 tonnes, the new tank was planned to be twice as heavy as the M13/40 medium tank about to enter service. Faced with numerous specification changes and no suitable engine, Fiat Ansaldo, the company that designed all Italian tanks, took until late 1942 to complete the prototype.

Mid-war MonstersIn our research we have uncovered lots of really interesting
experimental tanks. Some were just designs that were never completed.
Others were completed as prototypes, and some even saw small-scale field
testing!

These tanks were weird and wonderful, ranging from a 100-ton monster
and a First World War relic, to a tank with two side-by-side main guns,
an armoured car weighing more than a tank, and a machine-gun armed light
tank with the armour of a heavy tank!
Learn more about Mid-war Monsters here...

The new P40 heavy tank matched any tank on the
drawing boards in 1941 and was similar to the latest medium tanks in
service in late 1942—the M4 Sherman, T-34 and Panzer IV tanks.
Still, with nothing better in sight, full-scale production began in
early 1943.

Limited Vision
In order to pack more into small tanks, some tank designers reduced the crew to a minimum and severely
limited the number of vision devices. Thus, the tanks require the
commander to operate as a somewhat vision-impaired gunner as well.
Tanks with Limited Vision add +1 to the score required to hit when shooting any weapon except an AA MG at
targets that are entirely behind a line drawn across the front of the
tank’s turret before they rotate their turret to face the target.

Tanks with Limited Vision must rotate their turret to point straight ahead when they move.

Unfortunately the SPA engine factory in Turin had been
bombed, and this combined with a shortage of electrical parts and
optics, meant that although parts for more than 70 tanks were available
when Italy surrendered in September 1943, only 22 tanks had been
completed.

UnreliableWhether poorly designed, unsuitable for the conditions, or requiring
more maintenance than current supply considerations will allow, these
vehicles have a significant chance of breakdown when pushed too hard.

If an Unreliable vehicle attempts to move At the Double, roll a die. On a roll of 1 the vehicle becomes Bogged Down.

When Italy surrendered, the Germans seized the
P40 heavy tanks and ordered another 75. Due to the engine shortage, half
of the total were to be delivered without engines. These were mounted
in the Gothic Line as bunkers in 1944. The rest were issued to the SS
for anti-partisan work.